Movie: Men like to watch particular things on TV. Things like sports,
porn, and shows with them in mind. Perhaps the best such show you'll find on
basic cable, is The Man Show. The show is a half hour of show
guys like to watch-gals on trampolines (in every episode), porn stars
(including such Wicked Picture hotties as Jenna Jameson, Serenity, Stephanie
Swift, Julia Ann, Sydnee Steele, and the lovely Kylie Ireland and Tabitha
Stevens), goofs on women, and a truly male perspective.

For all of you who are fed up with the political correctness stuffed down
your throat almost every time you turn on the TV, The Man Show is a
breath of fresh air. Sophomoric humor by the two hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam
Carolla and their cast of misfits (Bill Foster as "The Fox" being the most
notable in the first season), actually works because in virtually every case-they're funny! Most of the humor is similar to that of the old television show Married With Children but Jimmy and Adam actually propose solutions whereas Al Bundy would always end up losing in the end. Isn't that more empowering?

In the opener, the men wisely attack Oprah (guest star: Cindy Crawford) as being part of the downfall of Western civilization. In the second, discuss how men want sex more than women, we get to see the recurring feature of Household Hints From Porn Stars and Movies Men Don't Want To See, all of which are funny as heck. In a later episode, the guys look at how weddings are the bane of man, as well as how to escape from one, and the boxed set ends with a compilation episode that hits some of the highlights of this first half of Season 1.

One of the biggest concerns people have had for this dvd release has been the worry that the show will be censored. There were a number of swear words used and only a few sections of pixelation to cover nudity (which is how I remember the episodes handling the nudity). If you want porn, look elsewhere but much of the fun here is not in the explicit content as much as the guys skewering topics all men will recognize.

The 3 dvds come in a light cardboard box that was kind of flimsy but the dvd cases themselves were those thin plastic standalone types that are actually great space savers. Each contains a picture on the inside as well as describes the contents of the disc. The shows are placed in the order they were shown, not filmed, which was what a lot of guys were requesting-gotta give them credit for listening to us. With the new hosts starting next month, it's a shame that Adam and Jimmy have left but leaving on a high note might be a good idea too. I'll wait to see how the new guys treat the material before joining in with the lynch mob that is frustrated with the loss of the original creator/stars. While I'm suggesting this as Highly Recommended, I think anyone who has never watched the show should catch an episode on cable television as they tend to be very similar (i.e.: you either get it or you don't with little middle ground).

Picture: The picture was presented in its original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. It looked great compared to my cable version with some minor artifacts. For a low budget show, it looked better than I expected.

Sound: The sound was presented in English and was similarly clear and crisp. No great stereo separation but this isn't an action adventure movie either.

Extras: All the extras are contained on the third dvd. They included some more Father and Son, Household Hints From Porn Stars, and Monkey Bar skits, as well as a section using athlete Karl Malone (3 sections), an audition of Angelique (one of the Juggy dancers), and a longer version of the Girls On Trampolines in sun dresses and bathing suits-skimpy bathing suits. Yum!

Final Thoughts: Simply put, the show is a lot of fun to watch. The most telling fact about how funny to men, and generally offensive to women, the show is would be that over the last several years, I've had more girlfriends fuss at me for watching this show than over my watching porn. Over four hours of fun at a reasonable price, I can't wait for the next set from season 1 (not to mention the rest of the seasons) to be released. I'll close this review with a salute to the calling cry of the show: